thanks2joniandu said:

Temptation ruins it for me...and Tamborine seems too light, more b-side. She's Always in my Hair should have been on the album somewhere....

Yet Temptation is one of my all time favs!

The Robert Christgau review still floors me:

Prince and the Revolution: Around the World in a Day [Warner Bros., 1985]
It's pretty strange, given that he looked like a visionary not long ago. But this arrested adolescent obviously don't know nuthin about nuthin--except maybe his own life, which for all practical purposes ended in his adolescence, since even for a pop star he does his damnedest to keep the world out. So while his sexual fantasies are outrageous only in their callous predictability and his ballads compelling only as shows of technique, they sure beat his reflexive antinomianism and dim politics. Which suggests why the solid if decidedly unpsychedelic musical pleasures our young craftsman makes available here don't wash. Only the crass "Raspberry Beret" and maybe the crooning "Condition of the Heart" are worth your time. B-

Even if people don't feel like it lived up to the preceding albums, I can't imagine anyone grading it lower than a B+. And how can anyone not love Tambourine and Pop Life.

[Edited 5/17/14 7:01am]

2funkE said:

thanks2joniandu said:

Temptation ruins it for me...and Tamborine seems too light, more b-side. She's Always in my Hair should have been on the album somewhere....

Yet Temptation is one of my all time favs!

Isn't it crazy though???

It's odd that the reviewer rated the album B- when he only had good things to say about 2 songs. I was listening to the record earlier and began to wonder who that background singer is at the end of The Ladder. The one who's taking it to church. Is it Jill?

So, I was relistening to ATWIAD after hearing all you guys rave about it to see if I might appreciate it more, and I came across a retrospective review from Stylus Magazine, which had something rather interesting to say about the sequencing: "The real flaw of ATWIAD is sequencing: “Condition Of The Heart” and salvation story “The Ladder” were meant, respectively, for the end of sides one and two, not the middle; throwaway “Tambourine” and the overlong “Temptation” do the honors instead, and they are easily the two most disposable songs of the platter. "

I'd never heard this before, can anyone confirm this or shed more light on it? FWIW, I did try listening to the album with this sequence, as well as a few other adjustments, Temptation being shed for She's Always In My Hair (sorry, fans of Temptation, it just doesn't float my boat) and I did think it was an improvement, still not a classic but a quirky and intriguing pop album nonetheless.

It's been a recent favorite of mine too. The era has his best-ever extended versions and b-sides as well. It's a perfect long Sunday morning drive album.

2funkE said:

thanks2joniandu said:

Temptation ruins it for me...and Tamborine seems too light, more b-side. She's Always in my Hair should have been on the album somewhere....

Yet Temptation is one of my all time favs!

It opens with a mean guitar, follows up with Prince vocals at its Princiest. Ultra cool sax. The whole song is quite the poetic piece with the guitar and vocals throughout speaking in more ways than lyrical. To be quite honest the guitar is actually pretty damn lyrical to me. It's also has great screaming, and guitar insanity towards the mid of the song. After that it has a more stripped down sound with programmed shakers, talking, poetic sax, filthy talk, .... I'm talking about SSSSEXUAL temptations.... he is speaking to GOD and the women he wants to "slaughter" at the same time. This song is actually summing up pretty much everything he cared about portraying in his music at that time... sex, god, love, lust, his inner beast... it's all Prince how we know him at it's most extreme. However the song is a bit long maybe, and Paisly Park does a similar job with more success. It is more memorable melodically, is shorter, has a cool vocal line, the guitar serves its purpose even more. And well, Paisly Park is a song I'd listen to more often. However Temptation is great. And it's one of my fathers favourites. And he never visits the org. So he can't change his opinion based on what most orgers think, lol. I personally think it's great. It's actually pretty dark. The total opposite of Purple Rain. He was probably thinking that this was a perfect way to scare away those bandwagoners.

Replica said:

2funkE said:

Yet Temptation is one of my all time favs!

It opens with a mean guitar, follows up with Prince vocals at its Princiest. Ultra cool sax. The whole song is quite the poetic piece with the guitar and vocals throughout speaking in more ways than lyrical. To be quite honest the guitar is actually pretty damn lyrical to me. It's also has great screaming, and guitar insanity towards the mid of the song. After that it has a more stripped down sound with programmed shakers, talking, poetic sax, filthy talk, .... I'm talking about SSSSEXUAL temptations.... he is speaking to GOD and the women he wants to "slaughter" at the same time. This song is actually summing up pretty much everything he cared about portraying in his music at that time... sex, god, love, lust, his inner beast... it's all Prince how we know him at it's most extreme. However the song is a bit long maybe, and Paisly Park does a similar job with more success. It is more memorable melodically, is shorter, has a cool vocal line, the guitar serves its purpose even more. And well, Paisly Park is a song I'd listen to more often. However Temptation is great. And it's one of my fathers favourites. And he never visits the org. So he can't change his opinion based on what most orgers think, lol. I personally think it's great. It's actually pretty dark. The total opposite of Purple Rain. He was probably thinking that this was a perfect way to scare away those bandwagoners.

I also like how it's somehow connected to God(vocal)

And I LOVE Eddie Ms sax playing

OldFriends4Sale said:

Replica said:

It opens with a mean guitar, follows up with Prince vocals at its Princiest. Ultra cool sax. The whole song is quite the poetic piece with the guitar and vocals throughout speaking in more ways than lyrical. To be quite honest the guitar is actually pretty damn lyrical to me. It's also has great screaming, and guitar insanity towards the mid of the song. After that it has a more stripped down sound with programmed shakers, talking, poetic sax, filthy talk, .... I'm talking about SSSSEXUAL temptations.... he is speaking to GOD and the women he wants to "slaughter" at the same time. This song is actually summing up pretty much everything he cared about portraying in his music at that time... sex, god, love, lust, his inner beast... it's all Prince how we know him at it's most extreme. However the song is a bit long maybe, and Paisly Park does a similar job with more success. It is more memorable melodically, is shorter, has a cool vocal line, the guitar serves its purpose even more. And well, Paisly Park is a song I'd listen to more often. However Temptation is great. And it's one of my fathers favourites. And he never visits the org. So he can't change his opinion based on what most orgers think, lol. I personally think it's great. It's actually pretty dark. The total opposite of Purple Rain. He was probably thinking that this was a perfect way to scare away those bandwagoners.

I also like how it's somehow connected to God(vocal)

And I LOVE Eddie Ms sax playing

How so? The goofy skit at the end? That's almost as silly as Wedding Feast.

"O sillyman..."

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I also like how it's somehow connected to God(vocal)

And I LOVE Eddie Ms sax playing

How so? The goofy skit at the end? That's almost as silly as Wedding Feast.

"O sillyman..."

yeah. But it's Prince, so for me it wasn't any different from the Ending of Do Me Baby, the Walk conversation, Vibrator, the backseat sex scene in Lady Cab Driver, If the Kid Can't Make U Come

But that conversation was a part of or came out of the PR tour where he is having a conversation with God. Oh I forgot Computer Blue as well ...

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I also like how it's somehow connected to God(vocal)

And I LOVE Eddie Ms sax playing

How so? The goofy skit at the end? That's almost as silly as Wedding Feast.

"O sillyman..."

It is silly, but unlike Wedding Feast, it's also very fun. Love Temptation, I believe it captures a lot of what makes Prince Prince.

OldFriends4Sale said:

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

How so? The goofy skit at the end? That's almost as silly as Wedding Feast.

"O sillyman..."

yeah. But it's Prince, so for me it wasn't any different from the Ending of Do Me Baby, the Walk conversation, Vibrator, the backseat sex scene in Lady Cab Driver, If the Kid Can't Make U Come

But that conversation was a part of or came out of the PR tour where he is having a conversation with God. Oh I forgot Computer Blue as well ...

Yeah, I remember the Purple Rain tour thing from various bootlegs, although God doesn't actually speak there right?

FWIW, I quite enjoy both Wedding Feast and this ending, but I rarely get to the end of Temptation so I don't hear it too often.

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

yeah. But it's Prince, so for me it wasn't any different from the Ending of Do Me Baby, the Walk conversation, Vibrator, the backseat sex scene in Lady Cab Driver, If the Kid Can't Make U Come

But that conversation was a part of or came out of the PR tour where he is having a conversation with God. Oh I forgot Computer Blue as well ...

Yeah, I remember the Purple Rain tour thing from various bootlegs, although God doesn't actually speak there right?

FWIW, I quite enjoy both Wedding Feast and this ending, but I rarely get to the end of Temptation so I don't hear it too often.

he used this piece from the PR sleeve poem inthe show too

Who screamed!?!

Was it you? Or was it U?

Do u know who u r?

then it doesn't matter who screamed 1st

Did it matter who ate of the apple 1st?

the end result was neg

what r u looking at!?!

oh yeah?

if I gave it to you what would u do with it?

I know u better than u think i do

there is this purple suspicion

that lurks in my mind

that u and I are a lot alike

in more ways than 6

can u relate?

What's the difference between life and death?

God

yes I believe in u

yes i trust u

yes i'll be good

do u want to spend the night?

will u take a bath with me?

.

from the poem

Do u know who u are?

Then it doesn't matter who screamed 1st.

Did it matter who ate of the apple 1st?

The end result was negative.

Can u pass me the pepper?

Why, because u told me salt was bad 4 me.

I thought u liked eggs.

I thought u liked me.

Well, eggs are the only thing I can make besides a baby.

Why do u look at me like that?

What are u thinking?

I know u better than u think I do.

There's this purple suspicion that lurks in the anals of my mind that u and I are alike in more ways than 6.

Can u relate?

oh yeah?

Then what's the difference between a beautiful man and an ugly man with money?

Nothing - as far as you're concerned.

Do u still want 2 spend the night?

for me given it has the ladder... which is more emotional than PR because it was written with his dad.. just wins hands down on that alone *wipes tears away*

strawberrybubblegum said:

Replica said:

strawberrybubblegum said:

for me given it has the ladder... which is more emotional than PR because it was written with his dad.. just wins hands down on that alone *wipes tears away*

Are we even sure he actually wrote it with his father? Or can it be that he used the style if playing as inspiration for it?

I don't think his father wrote it, I think (like Computer Blue) it was based on a piano piece, and then worked from their by Prince and crew

Its not my favorite because I have never been a fan of Temptation...but it's up there. I still listen to it pretty regularly.

Replica said:

strawberrybubblegum said:

for me given it has the ladder... which is more emotional than PR because it was written with his dad.. just wins hands down on that alone *wipes tears away*

Are we even sure he actually wrote it with his father? Or can it be that he used the style if playing as inspiration for it?

You are right I believe. I think he gave credits to his father just to give him some money.

Those two were never in the same place to make music.

thanks2joniandu said:

Temptation ruins it for me...and Tamborine seems too light, more b-side. She's Always in my Hair should have been on the album somewhere....

I think "She's Always In My Hair" should have replaced "Tamborine".

KlyphIsBackAgain said:

Took the album to school for "show and tell" in music class.....

Teacher put the record on.....

ATWIAD started playing and I smiled.....

I looked around and all the other kids were frowning......

Teacher took the record off and put something else on.....

That's when I learned being a Prince fan can sometimes be a HARD thing.

I did the same for a college music class but brought in SOTTs and played The Cross. The teacher LOVED it, but I got a lot of "huh?" looks from the others. One guy at the end asked me if I was a born again...lol.

I agree it is a great album. I love it. It has aged really well, but as someone else mentioned, I agree that Temptation and to a lesser degree, The Ladder ruin it for me. But other than that I love it. Such a fun album until the end. Those two songs are such buzzkill. Such downers.

I tend not to play it as much because Temptation leaves such a bad taste in my mouth and I hate to take the chance I hear it again.

[Edited 5/29/14 16:26pm]

V10LETBLUES said:

I agree it is a great album. I love it. It has aged really well, but as someone else mentioned, I agree that Temptation and to a lesser degree, The Ladder ruin it for me. But other than that I love it. Such a fun album until the end. Those two songs are such buzzkill. Such downers.

I tend not to play it as much because Temptation leaves such a bad taste in my mouth and I hate to take the chance I hear it again.

[Edited 5/29/14 16:26pm]

No reason to let a buzz kill your mood, just create you own ATWIAD cd and replace those 2 with She's Always In My Hair, Girl, Hello

OldFriends4Sale said:

V10LETBLUES said:

I agree it is a great album. I love it. It has aged really well, but as someone else mentioned, I agree that Temptation and to a lesser degree, The Ladder ruin it for me. But other than that I love it. Such a fun album until the end. Those two songs are such buzzkill. Such downers.

I tend not to play it as much because Temptation leaves such a bad taste in my mouth and I hate to take the chance I hear it again.

[Edited 5/29/14 16:26pm]

No reason to let a buzz kill your mood, just create you own ATWIAD cd and replace those 2 with She's Always In My Hair, Girl, Hello

Yeah, I've been doing that recently with SAIMH and it works very nicely. Hello feels a bit too oddly specific with all the Live Aid buisness being mentioned, and I've never really liked Girl. I've warmed to THe Ladder actually, although I still don't like the pompously intoned story at the beginning, and it does feel rather overproduced. A more stripped down version would IMO have been better, like the piano version played at the end of that documentary (anybody remember what it was called?)

JediNation said:

KlyphIsBackAgain said:

Took the album to school for "show and tell" in music class.....

Teacher put the record on.....

ATWIAD started playing and I smiled.....

I looked around and all the other kids were frowning......

Teacher took the record off and put something else on.....

That's when I learned being a Prince fan can sometimes be a HARD thing.

very cool story, I can relate.

Can so relate to that.